‘Inadequate’ hospital overturns second closure attempt

The CQC rating for Broomhill Hospital in Spratton, Northamptonshire dropped from “requires improvement” to “inadequate” overall, based on an unannounced inspection in July.

Inspectors found patients reporting being ridiculed by staff, patients assaulting each other, patient data not kept securely, and violent incidents not reported promptly.

In a three-month period, staff reported 621 incidents, including some linked to safeguarding referrals to police, and patients going absent without leave.

Staff did not always ensure patients were protected from harm, with some reporting they felt unsafe, and managers not properly dealing with incidents.

However, the 99-bed site, which has acute and long-stay wards and is run by St Matthews Healthcare, successfully appealed a Care Quality Commission proposal to remove its registration following the inspection last summer, the regulator reported. De-registration would mean it needing to close. 

The CQC – which first proposed removing Broomhill’s registration in 2021, something which was also successfully appealed – said the hospital has a “history of failing to respond adequately to serious concerns”, with action plans “often not sustained or embedded by the provider in practice”. 

In last year’s inspection, assessors also found the service sometimes didn’t use a recognised rehabilitation model, leaving patients without access to education and employment opportunities.

Craig Howarth, CQC deputy director of operations in the Midlands, said there were cases of patients “assaulting each other, and managers weren’t dealing with this appropriately”.

He continued: “One person told us they had been ridiculed by staff over their chosen gender. Another person told us staff were rude, hateful, racist and didn’t take them out into the community because of their body size. 

“This is totally unacceptable behaviour and must be addressed by the provider as a priority as no-one deserves to be treat like this especially at what can be a very distressing time.”

The CQC “won’t hesitate to use our enforcement powers” if “sufficient progress hasn’t been made next time we assess the hospital”, he added. 

A spokesperson for St Matthews Healthcare, which operates Broomhill, said it accepted the findings but noted the “report is not reflective of the current service”. Broomhill had implemented further changes since the July inspection which could not be included in the report, it said.